Jess has big blonde hair, she smiles and says, “Hi I’m Jess! I’m an illustrator/cartoonist and my work is equal parts ‘clean’ stuff and ‘sexy stuff.’ I’ve never felt the need to use a pseudonym to hide my identity. I’ve worked in kid’s games, illustrated all ages books, and making erotica hasn’t hindered me because I am able to separate the two. However, it has changed how some people treat me!”

In the next frame Jess is seated at a desk in her home working. Another person is also in the room. Jess says, “I’ve been working professionally for about 12 years and sometimes people ask me: But if you can do other things, WHY make sex comics??”

Jess explains, “The truth is I make sex comics because... why not?? And because most of the time I like sexy drawing and stories better than the alternatives! It’s not that I don’t look at or like photos and videos, but erotic stories and characters are FAR more preferable to me. I’m not alone in this either, people have been getting off to drawings for a long time!”

She explains, “Humans have been making erotic art since forever, but erotic illustrations and cartoons rose to popularity in the 1920s as a part of the Aesthetic and Art Nouveau movements. These artists were heavily inspired by Japanese woodcut artists like Kitagawa Utamaro. One of the most well-known and influential of these artists was Aubrey Beardsley. Gera Wegener was a 1920s fashion illustrator who’s erotic art shocked people with playful depictions of lesbian sex. Tom of Finland published his work despite 1950s homosexual censorship laws. And then there were Tijuana Bibles, racy little comics sold illegally on street corners from the 20s-40s. Some were secretly made by famous cartoonists of the day.”

Jess continues, “For many people, erotic illustrations and Tijuana bibles were the ONLY source of sex education available.” The accompanying illustration depicts two people in vintage clothing looking at a little book. One person asks “Can… Can we do this?” The other person responds, “I honestly don’t know!”

The next frame depicts a young child watching the character, Jessica Rabbit from the film, Who Framed Roger Rabbit. “Similarly, drawing sex when we’re young can be a way to try to understand it. I, as well as many artists, have had this experience.”

The caption reads, “You see a sexy thing. Later, you draw an even sexier thing.” The same young child is drawing and thinking, “What is it? What is this feeling?? I’ve got to figure out WHAT this is! HM this seems about right.” Then suddenly, the child thinks, “OH NOOOO, what have I DONE? This is so sexy it must be illegal!! If anyone sees this I’ll be thrown in KID JAIL.” The child looks terrified and runs to a bathroom thinking, “Ripping it up isn’t enough, they’ll find the pieces! I have to flush it!!!!”

Jess continues, “That guilt causes many artists to stop drawing erotic things. Eventually I hid my drawings instead of ripping them up, but I didn’t stop experimenting.” A person is illustrating an image of Ziggy Stardust while thinking, “Why do I like guys AND ladies? What am I?”

Jess explains, “I started drawing erotic comics because the porn I found didn’t feel like it was made for me.” The person is thinking, “Alright, time to sneak some late night porn on the living room TV!! Well… It’s cool to see boobs but all you see of the guy is his wiener! … YIKES. That doesn’t look like it would feel good for her.”

The person continues to draw while thinking, “How about attention to detail, specifically the clit! And sexy dudes who you can see more of than just their dick!” Jess continues to narrate, “Sometimes when you have a bad experience you’re inspired because you want to make something better. I also found erotica I loved! What I learned from it was that, just like every other comic I loved, I really wanted stories and developed characters I could relate to.”

Jess continues, “You don’t usually hear about people talk about story when it comes to porn. The illustration depicts two nude people, one is delivering a pizza saying, “Hey baby. Dud you order a pizza? From the FUTURE?” The other person responds, “No, but as long as you’re here you can fill my PLOT HOLE.”

Jess explains, “But with erotic comics the story and sets don’t have to feel fake, they can be limitless! The acting can be just as good as whoever is writing it.” A person is sitting at a tablet drawing, they are thinking, “Hm. Maybe I’ll set this story in an ancient abandoned ruin in the jungle! With sexy explorers and cute faun people!” The next illustrations depict two faun people and a rugged explorer as they become intimate.

Jess pops in to say, “Over the years I’ve come up with a few guidelines for myself to follow when I write sexy stuff. Be respectful of characters, people, and experiences you don’t have experience with! Just because it’s an erotic story doesn’t mean characters have to be scantily clad in every situation. (Besides, it will make it even sexier when they get undressed.) Write about what turns you on, but keep an open mind about what turns others on! The things that make characters sexy are more than just physical. Men are sexy. Diversity is sexy. Consent is sexy.”

Jess is sitting at her desk again, she says, “The best part is, erotic comics don’t have to ONLY be about sex either! They’re one of the most underutilized literary genres!” The person Jess threw out of her house earlier has returned, climbing through the window, they exclaim, “WHAT!? Porn isn’t a literary genre, it’s just there to get off to!” Jess asks them as she slams the window shut, “How did you even get up here? I’m on the fourth floor!!”

Jess continues smiling, “But really, if genres like science fiction, mystery and horror can tackle such complex topics as human nature, so can erotic comics! So go forth and find erotica that turns your head and heart!”